Hi Jere,
The shell dots, I cut them by myself from local abalone shell (I leave close to the sea).
I have a few pictures showing that, it's a little bit dated, I have improved my method since, but the idea is there.

Hi Jere,
The shell dots, I cut them by myself from local abalone shell (I leave close to the sea).
I have a few pictures showing that, it's a little bit dated, I have improved my method since, but the idea is there.

Thanks Jere,
Yes, working with shell pearl is really tough. I don't like working with the scroll saw (motorized) on that.
What I do now, is rough cutting the circles with the band saw, thinest blade I have. I put a "zero clearance" piece of wood under the shell. The effort with the band saw is more regular, always downward, against the wood. Although, I cut far from the line .
Actually, the pearl does not really "cut", it "micro breaks", and the only accurate tool to work it is high speed sanding or filing.

For really tricky cuts, I prefer the very thin blade hand jeweller saw, and hand cutting.
See this other photorama, where I do a, instrument head inlay job. This one necessitates a little more training and patience.
You need a lot of blades also, because you break very often, but that's not too expensive.La Belle Note - Photos - Lutherie : Bari Mando - MOP Inlays

See in particular my setup at photo 8 with my high-tech blowing system for cutting.
Of course, you always need to wear a breathing protection when working with pearl or bone, the dust is highly toxic for the lung.